In the interest of learning from “regular Joe” insureds acrossAmerica their thoughts and opinions on the insuranceexperience, NU asked a sample of carrier customers—ourfriends and families—about the decisions that factor into theirpurchase decision (price? advertising?); whether a relationshipwith an insurance agent is important to them; whether they weresatisfied with the way their carrier handled their last claim; andif they've actually ever read their policy, among other questions.Here are their responses. 

Conrad Rousseau, 50
Marblehead,Mass.
President/Owner, Stepstone Mortgage Co.
Insurance coverages include: Errors & Omission, Fidelity,Surety Bonds, General Liability and Workers' Comp

“I have one independent agent who handles most of my businessinsurance and one independent agent who does my personal coverage.I've been with my commercial agent for 20 years and have referred alot of business to him—and those I've referred have stayed withhim, too. There's no question personal agents are the way to go—youget much more personalized service and much better coverage. I'mvery happy with my rates. In 20 years, I've only had one businessclaim—when wind blew an awning off.”

Don Mentiply, 36
Knox, N.Y.
Small-business owner
Married

“It's good to have a person you know who you can talk to inorder to get a personal opinion on different coverages­—not justgeckos or Flo.”

Vanessa Pacini, 38
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Co-Owner, Café Ange Noir
Married
Moved to Brooklyn this summer from Nice, France with her husbandand two children. 

“Price and guarantee are the most important factors for us whenwe select coverage. Currently, my husband and I pay about $2,000annually for Disability and Workers' Compensation for our twoemployees.

“I haven't delved into my policy in detail, besides the mostmajor components and deductibles. This hasn't caused me anyproblems yet; in fact, as a business owner I don't have time forit, so it's best if our insurer can take that out of my hands.” 

Bill Deale, 29
Los Angeles
Television freelancer
Single

“I have a State Farm agent for Renters' insurance and myCalifornia Earthquake Authority policy. My Auto insurance has beenthrough GEICO since 2004 when I had to start carrying my own.

“Cost [is a major factor]. Renters' insurance and CaliforniaEarthquake Authority coverage aren't expensive, but Auto insuranceprices are absurd in California, and I shop around online annually.So far, nobody has been able to beat GEICO's price—and there's noway I would have heard of GEICO if they didn't advertise as much asthey do.”

Berent Lawton, 36
Temecula,Calif.
Injury Prevention Coordinator
Married

“Accessibility is important: Nothing irks me more than having towait to get information on a claim I have filed. The stress of aclaim can make anyone edgy and irritable, and the way an insurancerep handles the calls, reassuring you that everything will be takencare of without making any promises, is a skill not many possess.But when I get fast, responsible responses to my requests, I'msatisfied.

“Advertising has no effect on my purchase decision. I usuallysign up with a company whose name is given to me by friends orfamily who are happy customers. TV commercials are never taken intoconsideration.”

Paul Hayes, 47
Birmingham, Ala.
Media Sales
Married

Paul Hayes and his wife, Leah, married for two years, recentlymoved from Queens, N.Y. to Birmingham, Ala.—an event that requiredsome insurance changes. His Renters' insurance carrier in New York,First American, doesn't do business in Alabama. 

“I have GEICO for my car, and it's fairly cheap, and I knew fromtheir TV commercials that they do offer Renters' insurance as well.So I just went to their website and did it all online. The coverageis practically identical to what we had—and it's a little cheaper,”Hayes says.

Hayes notes that he did consider going to an independent agentbut decided against it. “It's just so much easier to do it online,and I didn't feel like going to meet with someone in person.”

For his Auto coverage, Hayes did do some comparison shoppingbetween GEICO and Progressive. Why those two? “Honestly, because ofthe TV commercials,” he says.

Hayes has not yet had any claims, and he is satisfied withGEICO. “I like that once you set up a password you can handle allyour needs on the website, like printing out your insurance IDcard.”

Pressed on how confident he is that his GEICO policies provideadequate coverage for both his car and home, Hayes says: “I lookedat the main points in the policy, but I did not sit down and readit for three hours. I assume I'm covered; I know I have Collisionand Liability. All I really want from my insurance is to make sureif I get into an accident, I won't go to jail [for not havingrequired coverage] and that I won't wind up paying someone for therest of my life if I get sued.”  

Robert Dudek, 40
LosAngeles
Television Editor
Married

When Robert Dudek purchased his first home last year with hisnew wife, he turned to his Auto insurer, Mercury Insurance, for hisHomeowners' coverage. “I knew if I could bundle the two that I'dget some savings,” he says. 

Dudek says he has had a positive relationship with Mercury formany years: “I even submitted a claim to them more than a yearafter my wife's car got backed into a pillar and did some damage tothe rear driver's side. At first, we let it go, but then it gotembarrassing, so we decided to have it fixed.”

Mercury paid for the $2,500 repair job, minus the $500deductible. “It did not impact my rates; in fact, I just got therenewal, and we're paying a little less now.” 

Dudek is also a motorcyclist who uses his bike to help him getthrough L.A.'s notorious traffic. As Mercury doesn't offerMotorcycle coverage, he asked them for a referral, and he waspointed to Pacific Specialty. 

Dudek recently got into an accident on his bike when a teenagedriver made a sudden turn into his lane, and his bike scraped thecar as he skidded to a stop.

“I wasn't impressed with the way Pacific Specialty handled thesituation. My deductible is $1,500, and the damage was $1,200, andthey sent me a bill to cover all the car's repair expenses. Icalled them and said, 'Are you out your mind? [The driver] turnedinto me.' I consulted a lawyer informally, and he advised me not topay. A few weeks later they sent me a letter thanking me for beinga good customer and said they would handle all the expenses. And Ijust got the renewal notice from them.” 

Dudek had a very different motorcycle-claim experience after aserious accident in New York that nearly cost him hisfoot. 

“I was with Progressive then, and they were wonderful. My Healthinsurance covered most of my medical costs—but not ananesthesiologist. Progressive picked that up, and I had little tono out-of-pocket expenses.”

Sebastiano Cirmi, 59
StatenIsland, N.Y.
Retired
Single

“I never know what I'm really insured for. Everyone should read[their policy] and ask what they are insured for, but no one doesit.

“To me, [insurance TV advertising] is full of crap. I hadAllstate for four years. Then I see the advertising that if I don'thave an accident for a year I get a check. I called my agent. Hesaid it is not for New York. Why are they doing that?”

Brendan Coyle, 34
Virginia Beach,Va.
Active duty, U.S. Navy
Married

“I don't use a regular agent for my vehicles, but I insure themthrough a large company that offers excellentcustomer service over the phone. My Home insurance ispurchased through an agent. Being able to reliably contact someonefor service when needed is important.

“Good coverage, reasonable rates and multiple options withregard to premiums/deductibles figure into my insurance-purchasedecisions. I always start with my current insurancecompany. The only time I look beyond them is if they do not offer aspecific product.”

Russ Drafahl, 52
Dubuque,Iowa 
Entrepreneur
Single

“I have a go-to guy who I trust, who's been my insurance agentfor 15 years. For me, there's no shopping around for quotes. If itcosts me an extra $100 per year, it's worth it. I've got no needfor a little green gecko; I don't have to sing a jingle to see if[my agent] shows up.

“On my last claim, I was so satisfied—in fact, I was amazed bythe level of protection that I got. I rear-ended a guy, and hewanted to sue me and claimed permanent disability, saying he[incurred] all kinds of mental and physical problems. He justwanted a fat check from me. My insurance company retained a lawyerfrom Des Moines, and I didn't have to do anything except meet andtalk with the attorney about the accident. 

“I trust my agent for those types of [coverage] questions, andwhen I have what I think is a claim, he deals with it.”

Javier Hernandez, 40
Arlington,Va.
Media Production
Married

“Price is the biggest deciding factor for me when buying Home orAuto insurance. For a long time I had Renters' insurance with onecompany and my Auto with another because it was cheaper that way.Now everyone loves to bundle services. My wife and I still haveseparate Auto policies because it's cheaper to do so.

“I have Progressive, and when I wrecked my motorcycle they werevery responsive. My local rep, Justin, was very knowledgeable aboutmy options. I was actually surprised that it was taken care of soquickly. 

“I had a [home] claim about six months ago that didn't go assmoothly. It was the first time I was made aware that myProgressive insurance policy was underwritten to a companyin Texas. I called three times and spoke withthree different people, which meant I had to recap thelast conversation with the new person each time. It wasfrustrating. Once the ball got rolling, though, my claimwas resolved very quickly.”

Marjorie Carvalho,39
Springfield, Ill.
Telecommunications 
Manager
Married

“It's important [to have a relationship with my agent], becausewhen I am calling about insurance, usually something bad hashappened. I like to have the reassurance that my claimwill be taken care of quickly.

“Value and ability to cover what I need are the biggest decidingfactors in shopping for insurance. I also like to bundlemy services so that I have one bill to pay and one person tocontact with questions.

“I am currently shopping around. We had two claims related tostorms in two years, so they raised our rates. We got hitby a tornado and then hail in two different years—we had no claimsbesides those. I know they have to raise rates when it happens, butit's not like we're [big] risks. I can't control theweather.”

Jeffrey Weissman, 50
River Vale,N.J.
Owner of JA Visual Group
Married

“I have always worked directly with an agent. The agent isbetter able to explain the coverage of the policy and understandsmy needs because we have a history of working together. I've beenwith this agent for seven years.

“I typically ask my agent to shop my policy through a number ofdifferent underwriters, and different underwriters will give youdifferent quotes for comparable policies. [My biggest decidingfactor when purchasing insurance is] the cost in relation to thecoverage—and they're not all equal.

“For certain policies that I have, I won't deal with companiesthat I've never heard of. For major policies that cover my companyor my life insurance or my home, I try to deal with better-known,financially stable companies. I don't want to find that I've spentthousands of dollars in premiums with a firm that's not going to besolvent when the need comes.” 

Dr. Yelena Kipervas,45
Allentown, Pa. 
Doctor and Owner, Comprehensive Family Practice
Married

“When shopping for insurance providers, advertisements honestlyhave little effect on me. I may call a company after seeing theirname on TV to scout their policy, but that's part of how I do myown research for insurance coverage. Coverage should becomprehensive and competitively priced.

“I've never had a problem with the way my insurance claims arehandled. There is one issue that keeps popping up, however:Allentown usually has a power outage once a year due to a storm orsnowfall. This means the refrigerator in my office goes out, andthe expensive medicine and the Botox serum I keep in itspoil. 

“My policy has covered and replaced these losses for the pastfive years, but my insurance renewal is coming up in September, andmy agent said to me: 'You are lucky that you're covered because youhave had a string of losses. You could become a high-risk insured,and companies may either refuse you as a customer or ask you for ahigher deductible.' So this year I didn't take any chances. BeforeHurricane Sandy hit I took the medicine out of my office and put itin my home refrigerator.

“I can never predict when these things will occur, just like Ican't predict the future. And that's why I haveinsurance.”